UNSC reforms: India pitches for African solidarity, says time is now

India has made a robust pitch for reform and expansion of the UN Security Council and underlined that institutions of global governance can’t exclude New Delhi and Africa, the two emerging growth poles of the world.

Speaking at the ministerial meeting of the Third India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi on October 27, India’s External Affairs Sushma Swaraj also underscored the need for bolstering strategic partnership with the 54-nation continent over a host of cross-cutting challenges, ranging from piracy and terrorism to climate change and sustainable development.

“Unless we put in place more democratic global governance structures, the more equitable and just international security and development frameworks that are essential for the collective peace and prosperity of this planet, will continue to elude us. There can no longer be pockets of prosperity in vast areas of underdevelopment and insecurity,” said Swaraj.

Reiterating the demand for permanent membership in the UN Security Council, Ms Swaraj said, “How can we expect legitimacy from structure that excludes African continent and a country representing 1/6th of humanity.”

Welcoming the progress made during the 69^th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), under former UNGA president Sam Kutesa towards commencing text-based negotiations to reform the UNSC, the minister emphasised that the 70^th Session of the UNGA is an opportune moment to achieve concrete results on this long pending issue.

The 54-nation African continent is central to any expansion of the UN Security Council.

India, which has been the largest contributor of UN peacekeeping missions since inception, has been involved in 11 peacekeeping operations in Africa. Raising concerns about the new international security environment, MS Swaraj spoke about the new challenges being posed to check the effectiveness of traditional peacekeeping missions. India had announced its decision to increase its troop contribution to peacekeeping missions during the UN Peacekeeping summit held in September in New York. The decision was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who attended the summit. India has also called for a say in decision making by troop contributing countries.

Alluding to rising extremism and terrorist groups in the world, including in large swathes of Africa, Ms Swaraj said, “All our nations find themselves faced with the growing scourge of terrorism. The menace of non-state actors and cross border terrorism has acquired a new dimension. The scale of this challenge is huge and undermines the peace and stability in our countries, which is essential for our development efforts.” She called for greater cooperation between India and Africa in intelligence exchange, training and other measures to counter this menace. The minister made a strong push for finalization of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, which continue to be mired in differences over definitions of terrorism.

Focusing on international trade, Ms Swaraj spoke about the 10^th WTO Ministerial meet to be held in Nairobi in December and alluded to the recent announcements regarding the signing of a Tripartite Free Trade Agreement and the launch of negotiations for the creation of a Continental Free Trade Agreement in Africa. Stating that these are major initiatives which will stimulate trade and development, Ms Swaraj said, “The international trade regime is another very important aspect that shapes the possibilities for promotion of improved livelihoods and standards of living in our countries.”

With the COP21 climate change summit coming up in Paris, the minister said India was looking forward to finalizing an ambitious and comprehensive climate change agreement based on the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibility.”

“India and Africa have worked together to develop a common understanding of our core priorities for an inclusive economic growth to eradicate poverty and allocate adequate resources for sustainable development.” With a growing number of India companies investing in Africa, the minister spoke about these investments bringing in capital and technology, and their role in value addition and spurring industrialisation.

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